Capilliary Tube (Cap Tube) Issues

All compression refrigeration systems depend on some device to separate the high and low pressure sides of the system. In a capillary (cap) tube system, this is the capilliary tube itself, which, as the name implies, has an extremely small micro-bore at its center that is less than the diameter of a needle.

There are two main issues that can occur with cap tubes: a particle blockage at the high pressure end near the compressor (picture on the left), and a moisture, wax, or oil problem at the other next to the evaporator (picture on the right). The Guide below describes the symptoms and recommended remedies for cap tube problems.

Refrigeration 101

I’ll try not to get too technical on this subject, but there are some basic principles that you need to know before we get going. Firstly, we won’t be talking about hot and cold too often. It will be all heat, just at different temperatures above absolute zero (-460 deg F).

Next, we will be working in a unit of heat measurement known as a British Thermal Unit or Btu, and this is defined as the amount of heat required to raise or lower 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit.

Also it is important to remember that heat travels in one direction only; from a warm, high temperature area to a lower temperature area, and that we don’t “make cold”, we simply remove heat from one area and transfer it to somewhere else.